Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1504498
2 Reliable Plant Anniversary Edition | www . reliableplant.com I nspections are the foundation of any maintenance and reliability profes- sional's daily task list; they are the last line of defense protecting our equip- ment's health and our facility's bottom line from the devastating effects of unplanned downtime. But the unfortunate fact remains that a person only has so many hours available in a day, and within that day, they not only have to complete inspections, but routine maintenance and repairs, data evaluations, planning and scheduling activities, and other daily tasks that keep the facility operating efficiently. So, what do we do when time runs short, and every task is critical to the health of our equipment? What about when these routine inspections present a safety risk to our employees, but they remain a required task that must be completed? A potential solution lies with something that seems more science fiction than fact – artificially-intelligent robots. What Is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence (AI) is any tech- nology that displays an intelligence level comparable to that of humans. is doesn't just include the ability to process and under- stand large amounts of data. AI can often use that data to reason and infer new information without any additional programming, essen- tially becoming smarter the longer it operates. Because it's not limited to a single form, AI can be programmed into almost anything, from a simple desktop computer to a variety of vehicles and even a custom-built robot, and it's this last form that's beginning to take heavy industries by storm. AI-driven robots are being applied to assist with and complete a variety of facility tasks, with minimal human interaction. Such tasks can include: • Quickly interpreting and disseminating large quantities of data. • Solving complex problems. • Making accurate predictions. • Performing tasks that present a safety risk to team members. Not only does this reduce the human errors that may hinder facility productivity, but it presents the opportunity to drastically improve safety and reduce incident reports while freeing up precious technician time. is allows technicians to focus on high- er-level activities that have a direct impact on increasing sustainable company profitability. These projects not only help accomplish facility goals, but decrease machine downtime, increase profits, promote greater team member COVER STORY ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT ROBOTS: MAINTENANCE'S NEW BEST FRIEND? Going where no robot has gone before by automating inspections, capturing unlimited amounts of facility data, and detecting machine anomalies before failure occurs.